Food and Vitamins That Can Improve Your Eye Health

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Food and Vitamins That Can Improve Your Eye Health

Posted On : Jun-30-2010 | seen (1213) times | Article Word Count : 959 |

People all around the world are trying to improve their health. For many, this means exercising and increasing their physical fitness.

People all around the world are trying to improve their health. For many, this means exercising and increasing their physical fitness. When performed correctly, exercise can boost metabolism, burn calories, strengthen and tone muscles, expand endurance, and even raise mental acuity.

But what about your eyes?

You can’t exercise your eyes and reap the same benefits as you would from working out your body. However, there are some steps you can take to improve your optical health.

For starters, you can maintain a healthy diet. Eating nutritious foods will help your body stay at its peak health level. This in turn will keep your body strong and help it to ward off ailments and diseases, including those which will affect your eyes.

But studies have shown that emphasizing certain vitamins and supplements in your diet can help keep your eyes healthy and lower the risk of optical diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Here are some of those substances:

Vitamin A and beta carotene. These help maintain the body’s ability to see at night, heal wounds, and ward off illnesses. They can be found in carrots, liver, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and cod liver oil.

B-complex vitamins. Known to prevent chronic inflammation, these can help reduce the risk of macular degeneration, retinal vascular problems, and uveitis (which causes blindness). They can be found in beef, turkey, potatoes, avocadoes, bananas, and legumes.

Vitamin C. This antioxidant is responsible for a host of bodily benefits, including a decreased risk of cataracts. It can be found in strawberries, cantaloupe, oranges, kale, broccoli, and red or green sweet peppers.

Vitamin D. This substance, which helps diminish the threat of macular degeneration, is often lacking in the body during winter months or cold climates. It can be found in salmon, tuna fish, cod liver oil, sardines, eggs, and Swiss cheese.

Vitamin E. Like Vitamin C, this substance has been shown to cut the risk of cataracts. It can be found in hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and almonds.

Zeaxanthin and lutein. These are two carotenoids which help shrink the danger of both macular degeneration and cataracts. They can be found in collard greens, spinach, and kale.

Bioflavonoids. These help increase the body’s ability to process Vitamin C. They can be found in cherries, citrus fruits, plums, and grapes.

If you do not think that you are getting enough of these nutrients in your daily diet, you may consider buying vitamins and supplements to make up for the discrepancy. These can be found at most health food stores, grocers, and pharmacies. In addition, there are certain supplements, such as selenium and zinc, which have also been shown to maintain optimum eye health.

You may decide to take a nutritional supplement which specifically targets eye health. These multivitamin supplements may include many or all of the nutrients listed above. Some popular brands of vision supplement are Alcon’s ICaps, Bausch & Lomb’s Ocuvite PreserVision, Biosyntrx’s Oculaire, and Advanced Vision Research’s MacuTrition.

In addition to maintaining your overall eye health, there are some supplements that you may wish to consider that specifically reduce the risk of certain optical conditions such as dry eyes. Two of these supplements are the most commonly cited to combat dry eyes: flaxseed oil and fish oil. Both of these are high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Flaxseed oil has a large amount of ALA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid. ALA gets broken down into two other omega-3 fatty acids, known as EPA and DHA, during digestion. EPA and DHA help protect membranes of cells in the human body.

You can buy flaxseed oil in both liquid and capsule forms. Some frequently-purchased brands of flaxseed oil include Advanced Vision Research’s TheraTears Nutrition, Eye Science’s Dry Eye Formula, and Ocusoft’s Tears Again Hydrate.

Fish oil contains large amounts omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in their natural forms. Therefore, these nutrients can get absorbed by your cell membranes immediately without waiting for the body to break down ALA as with flaxseed oil.

Like flaxseed oil, fish oil can be purchased in either capsule or liquid form. Popular brands include Biosyntrx’s BioTears and ScienceBased Health’s Hydro Eye. If you would rather not take fish oil as a supplement, you can get the proper amount of omega-3 fatty acids by eating grilled coldwater fish at least three times every week.

While there are certainly similarities between flaxseed oil and fish oil, there are a few differences which may affect your choice of supplement.

* Flaxseed oil must be refrigerated in order to retain its benefits, while fish oil does not.

* Fish oil may leave a fishy aftertaste in your mouth, but flaxseed oil has little or no aftertaste.

* Generally speaking, you must take a higher dosage of flaxseed oil to gain the same benefit that you would from fish oil.

* Some people may experience an upset stomach, burping, heartburn, acid reflux, abdominal pain, or diarrhea as side effects when taking fish oil.

As with any major change to your health regimen, consult your doctor before taking supplements or drastically altering your diet. Some supplements may affect the effectiveness of prescription medications that you may already be taking. For instance, if you take blood thinners, both fish oil and flaxseed oil can diminish blood clotting and heighten the risk of bleeding.

Like your overall health, your eye health is important to living a fruitful and vigorous life. So when planning your health strategy, don’t forget about your eyes!

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<h1>Food and Vitamins That Can Improve Your Eye Health</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_Jon Davidson.aspx'>Jon Davidson</a> People all around the world are trying to improve their health. For many, this means exercising and increasing their physical fitness. When performed correctly, exercise can boost metabolism, burn calories, strengthen and tone muscles, expand endurance, and even raise mental acuity.

But what about your eyes?

You can’t exercise your eyes and reap the same benefits as you would from working out your body. However, there are some steps you can take to improve your optical health.

For starters, you can maintain a healthy diet. Eating nutritious foods will help your body stay at its peak health level. This in turn will keep your body strong and help it to ward off ailments and diseases, including those which will affect your eyes.

But studies have shown that emphasizing certain vitamins and supplements in your diet can help keep your eyes healthy and lower the risk of optical diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Here are some of those substances:

Vitamin A and beta carotene. These help maintain the body’s ability to see at night, heal wounds, and ward off illnesses. They can be found in carrots, liver, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and cod liver oil.

B-complex vitamins. Known to prevent chronic inflammation, these can help reduce the risk of macular degeneration, retinal vascular problems, and uveitis (which causes blindness). They can be found in beef, turkey, potatoes, avocadoes, bananas, and legumes.

Vitamin C. This antioxidant is responsible for a host of bodily benefits, including a decreased risk of cataracts. It can be found in strawberries, cantaloupe, oranges, kale, broccoli, and red or green sweet peppers.

Vitamin D. This substance, which helps diminish the threat of macular degeneration, is often lacking in the body during winter months or cold climates. It can be found in salmon, tuna fish, cod liver oil, sardines, eggs, and Swiss cheese.

Vitamin E. Like Vitamin C, this substance has been shown to cut the risk of cataracts. It can be found in hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and almonds.

Zeaxanthin and lutein. These are two carotenoids which help shrink the danger of both macular degeneration and cataracts. They can be found in collard greens, spinach, and kale.

Bioflavonoids. These help increase the body’s ability to process Vitamin C. They can be found in cherries, citrus fruits, plums, and grapes.

If you do not think that you are getting enough of these nutrients in your daily diet, you may consider buying vitamins and supplements to make up for the discrepancy. These can be found at most health food stores, grocers, and pharmacies. In addition, there are certain supplements, such as selenium and zinc, which have also been shown to maintain optimum eye health.

You may decide to take a nutritional supplement which specifically targets eye health. These multivitamin supplements may include many or all of the nutrients listed above. Some popular brands of vision supplement are Alcon’s ICaps, Bausch & Lomb’s Ocuvite PreserVision, Biosyntrx’s Oculaire, and Advanced Vision Research’s MacuTrition.

In addition to maintaining your overall eye health, there are some supplements that you may wish to consider that specifically reduce the risk of certain optical conditions such as dry eyes. Two of these supplements are the most commonly cited to combat dry eyes: flaxseed oil and fish oil. Both of these are high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Flaxseed oil has a large amount of ALA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid. ALA gets broken down into two other omega-3 fatty acids, known as EPA and DHA, during digestion. EPA and DHA help protect membranes of cells in the human body.

You can buy flaxseed oil in both liquid and capsule forms. Some frequently-purchased brands of flaxseed oil include Advanced Vision Research’s TheraTears Nutrition, Eye Science’s Dry Eye Formula, and Ocusoft’s Tears Again Hydrate.

Fish oil contains large amounts omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in their natural forms. Therefore, these nutrients can get absorbed by your cell membranes immediately without waiting for the body to break down ALA as with flaxseed oil.

Like flaxseed oil, fish oil can be purchased in either capsule or liquid form. Popular brands include Biosyntrx’s BioTears and ScienceBased Health’s Hydro Eye. If you would rather not take fish oil as a supplement, you can get the proper amount of omega-3 fatty acids by eating grilled coldwater fish at least three times every week.

While there are certainly similarities between flaxseed oil and fish oil, there are a few differences which may affect your choice of supplement.

* Flaxseed oil must be refrigerated in order to retain its benefits, while fish oil does not.

* Fish oil may leave a fishy aftertaste in your mouth, but flaxseed oil has little or no aftertaste.

* Generally speaking, you must take a higher dosage of flaxseed oil to gain the same benefit that you would from fish oil.

* Some people may experience an upset stomach, burping, heartburn, acid reflux, abdominal pain, or diarrhea as side effects when taking fish oil.

As with any major change to your health regimen, consult your doctor before taking supplements or drastically altering your diet. Some supplements may affect the effectiveness of prescription medications that you may already be taking. For instance, if you take blood thinners, both fish oil and flaxseed oil can diminish blood clotting and heighten the risk of bleeding.

Like your overall health, your eye health is important to living a fruitful and vigorous life. So when planning your health strategy, don’t forget about your eyes!About the Author: Jon Davidson is a freelance writer who writes about health, eye care and specific products and where to purchase them such as <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.buymorecontacts.com/Contact-Lenses-Catalog/257-acuvue-oasis-contact-lenses.aspx">contact lenses online</a>. Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Food-and-Vitamins-That-Can-Improve-Your-Eye-Health_23920.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Food and Vitamins That Can Improve Your Eye Health_23920.aspx</a>

Article Source : http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Food and Vitamins That Can Improve Your Eye Health_23920.aspx

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Jon Davidson is a freelance writer who writes about health, eye care and specific products and where to purchase them such as contact lenses online.

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